The Ultimate Homunculi
by Kazi-Kun
Summary: Alchemic Reactions and Planetary Energies clash for one lone wolf's escape. In the World of Alchemy, the Sailor Senshi don't exist but a military does. There's no such thing as black and white. Everything is a shade of gray...
1. Chapter 1

FullMetal Alchemist/Sailor Moon

"The Ultimate Homunculi"

_Equivalent exchange. The law that says for whatever you give up, you'll get the equal amount in return._

_Equivalent exchange. What powerful words that hold too much meaning behind their existence._

_Equivalent exchange. Their existence used to give me hope whenever I heard them._

_But all that has changed. I knew that those words were as meaningless as love and hatred but yet they still affect us. It's a scary thought, really. Especially when that thought makes you take a path of sin and regret with no chance of repentance along the way. I speak from experience. I have paid more than my fair share of troubles while others haven't paid enough. I have tried to do my best doing the right thing, believing that there is strictly good and evil._

_But I couldn't do it. I knew that the strict line between good and evil didn't exist. That line never did. Knowing this, I joined the lesser of several evils. I went with my natural abilities and now I serve a man with amazing political power and strategic reasoning. I have become apart of his guard. I am his most trusted. He calls me his 'Pride', after the sin, after the Homunculus. I answer to it. I don't care what he calls me as long as I don't have to think for myself._

0-0-0

Short, but not exactly sweet. Hey, just read to find out more! RnR plz!


	2. Chapter 2

Colonel Roy Mustang had never been this far south before. Saints Harbor was a unique place on the southern coast that had not only a Military base but guilds upon guilds of artisans. One such guild was the Saint Alchemic Smithy Guild where the legendary Forge Alchemist was currently housed. The SAS Guild was a very special guild. All of the blacksmiths were alchemists and not all of them were apart of the State Military. He was hoping to finally meet this Forge Alchemist who was also a Automail Mechanic. If he could, he was going to assign him to the Elric Brothers.

The SAS Guild had several guilds all over the huge city but Mustang was headed for the master Smithy and Workshop-the guild's HQ. That was where the Forge Alchemist would be.

"Hey, Corporal!" Mustang called out to a young soldier who was carrying a box of metal scraps to the furnace to boil down again. The soldier passed the box of scrap to an apprentice Smith before jogging over to the Colonel. "Take me to the Forge Alchemist."

"Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted. He led Mustang through several stalls of working smiths to the largest one-the stall reserved for the best of the best of the best. Inside was a burly man with his back to the opening and the ting of metal being hammered. "You have a guest, Forge!"

The burly man turned around and towered over Mustang and probably had a good 5 inches on Major Armstrong. This man didn't look like he belonged to the State.

"Francis! Turn your ass back around! I ain't done with this panel yet, you numb skull!" A small hammer hit the man in the back of his head and the man's eyes rolled upward falling forward. Behind him was an anvil and a girl in State pants, boots, a black tank top, dog tags and fingerless gloves. Her black bangs were sticking out from under a hat that had to have the rest of her hair bundled up out of her way. "Damn it. Not another KO'd apprentice. sigh Hey, Corporal-grab Mike and Cameron to pull this lump away. Then come back to give me a hand."

"Yes, ma'am, Forge Alchemist, ma'am!" The soldier saluted the girl who wasn't what Mustang expected. Mustang took off his coat and rolled up his shirt sleeves.

"I'll help you. I'm Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist." Mustang said gripping the tongs the man Francis had let go. The girl picked up another hammer. "Call me 'Roy'."

"Nice to meet ya, sir." She replied with a smile. "The name's Holiday Mariah Cross. The rank's Captain. An' the title's the Forge Alchemist. Now hang on good an' tight. I hit pretty hard for a 15 year old girl."

Mustang smiled back at her. "Hit away, Captain Cross."

"Call me 'Holly'. Put the steel into the furnace." Holly said adjusting her gloves. Mustang did as he was told and put it back on the anvil. She swung hard on to the metal then again and again, flattening it. Both worked silently until the massive plate was finished. Holly and Mustang sat down on bench stools as two twenty year olds came forward and picked it up to take it else where.

"You're pretty good." Mustang replied panting. "I can see why you don't use Alchemy while you work."

"I'm glad you do." Holly said. "I got Archer nagging me to use my Alchemy since I'm an Alchemist. You know, he just doesn't get it. It's not always the Alchemic work that makes me feel good about my job. I like to work with my hands. And my Alchemy isn't the only thing about me. Yes, I'm an Alchemist but no, not everything can be solved the quickest way. Everything takes time. And that amount of time depends on the project. He just does not-will not get it."

"Sounds like Lieutenant Archer alright." Mustang muttered, under his breath. "Say, Holly. Tell me something, would you? Why are you here of all places? Surely you could be assigned any where you'd ever want to go."

"True, I could go any where but I've been to too many places as it is." Holly answered him, dusting off her hands. "I asked the Fuhrer to assign me here because it's that last place anyone from my old life would look for me. Back there, in my old life, I was weak and pathetic-looking but I held great power. Sadly I had a leader who saw everything as black or white. If you invaded our kingdom you were black, evil. If you came in peace, you were white, good, pure of heart."

"Is that why you left?" The Flame asked the Forge who sighed. "Because you were being led by a closed minded leader?"

"Sort of. The main reason was that I couldn't live that strict line. I had power that was considered evil but I was pure of heart. I had killed hundreds to protect myself and others. She didn't believe in gray areas and I was the biggest gray area she had to deal with." Forge took off her gloves. "Look at my hands, sir. They look like the hands of a wealthy heiress. If you hadn't seen me working or knew of my reputation and you walked in here, you would've thought I was just a desk clerk on break, dressed this way because outside HQ it was too hot for a jacket. You wouldn't think I was true soldier, only playing like many rich kids do. My power keeps me from getting too damaged physically and it keeps me looking like I'm pampered. But it keeps me from being truly human. I cannot die. I cannot give birth. I cannot be even considered human. What human can take out whole armies with their bare hands? What human can rip a country apart inch by inch? What human can destroy whole galaxies without a second thought?" Holly's hands curled into tight fists and her nails cut her palms, dripping blood on to her stall's floor. "I can do all that and more, Colonel Mustang. I may look human but I'm far from it."

Mustang didn't know what to say. It was hard to say anything after hearing something like that come from such a young girl. Soft footsteps broke the silence. Holly and Mustang looked up at the entrance to her stall. Mustang was surprised to see an Ishballian man who looked similar to Scar stand in the entrance dressed in his symbolic sash over his State uniform.

"Captain Cross," The Ishballian said in a low, irate voice.

"What is it, Brom?" Holly asked her voice taking a firmer edge.

"We have a slight problem, Guild Master." Brom told her. Holly stood with Mustang and stepped out of her stall. Mustang saw the trouble instantly. "Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Archer has arrived and is demanding to see the Forge Alchemist."

"Feel like playing decoy, my friend?" Cross asked under her breath, her back to Archer. Brom's body shifted ever so slightly. "Ah, I see. Archer's racist. I suppose decoys would only piss him off all the same." Holly's posture changed as did the girl's unique eyes-they became colder, much more inhuman. "Have the chimeras on stand by. If he attacks, I want them to be by my side to protect you and your fellow Ishballians from this egotistical bastard."

"Understood, Guild Master." Brom said in a low, devoted tone. The Flame realized the Brom had full black leather gloves on over his hands. That meant he was an Alchemist, that the chimeras were his creations. Holly pulled on her gloves and tightened them in her subtle anger. Her guild fell deathly silent. All Alchemists were in their stalls, tightening their grips on whatever weapon like thing they had in their hands.

"Captain Cross! Forge Alchemist! Come here!" Archer barked. Mustang apparently couldn't bee seen from Archer's angle so he stepped back into her work stall and fixed his uniform, looking like he had when he had first arrived.

Holly turned and looked at the Lieutenant Colonel. "Yeah, what? Oh, it's _you_. What do you want now, Lieutenant Colonel Archer? Can't you see you're disturbing State mandated work?"

Archer merely smirked and walked into the Guild, up to Holly. He was only about 10 feet away from her stall when a couple of Great Danes got between them, hackles up and large teeth bared in anger.

"I see you've updated security." Archer replied as if to make light of situation. "I'm glad to see that because I have written orders from Brigadier General Hakuro that you're to come with me as my subordinate."

Holly crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that so?"

"That's right. Here," Archer held out a piece of white paper for Holly to take. "this is everything the General had to say on the matter of you being assigned to me."

A third Great Dane walked out of a stall and took the letter from Archer, delivering it to Holly. She held out her hand to Brom who put reading glasses in her palm, and read the letter, looking more of a General than a Captain. She refolded the letter and sighed.

"These are official orders alright. But I'm afraid they're not official enough." Holly said with the cold glint of a war-torn veteran in her unusual eyes.

"Not official enough? What does that mean?" Archer half demanded of her.

"I'm glad you asked, Lieutenant Colonel." Holly replied with a heartless smirk on her 15-year-old lips. "It means I can do this."

She ripped the folded letter in half and continued to rip it in half over and over again until she had little white pieces in her gloved hands. Archer was horrified.

"What are you doing!" Archer demanded furiously. "Those were official orders from the Brigadier General himself!"

"Exactly. I don't take orders from anyone lower than the Fuhrer himself." Holly told him icily as she dusted off her hands, showering the ground in front of her with white shreds. "His messengers are no lower than Colonels. He has made sure I'm well protected from soldiers like you. If anyone wants me under their command, second to his, he will write the orders out personally and will deliver them personally to explain the situation and the conditions to me. I am his 'Pride', Lieutenant Colonel. I am his alone to command. Try undermine the very system he created for the safety of the inferior again and I do not doubt the Fuhrer will give me permission to torture you for the rest of your natural life. And trust me-I have ways to make that last a long, long…a very, _very_ long time. Now, leave before I dispatch you with orders."

Holly turned her back on Archer, as the dogs returned to their stalls. Mustang watched everything ever so slightly from his spot in Holly's stall. One of Archer's men drew a gun and fired at Brom. Holly heard the gunshot and stepped ever so unnoticeably to protect her friend. The bullet hit her shoulder, pushing her into Brom's arms for support.

"Guild Master!" Several smiths called out alarmed.

"Captain!" The resident soldiers cried as Holly clutched her injured shoulder and bit back waves of screams. Brom scooped her up as she bared her teeth. The 3 dogs came out of their stalls with back up and launched themselves at the intruding soldiers.

"No-don't kill them." Brom said sternly. "Our Mistress's care comes first-before revenge and orders. One of you-fetch the surgeon. The rest stay on guard."

One of the Great Danes backed off and ran out the back exit, turning left at full speed. Brom held Holly against him as he headed towards an unnoticed stair case that spiraled upward.

"Hang on, Mistress. It'll all be over soon."


	3. Chapter 3

"You're one lucky dame, Cap."

"Ha ha ha, just remove the bullet." Holly snapped at the Field Surgeon. "I outrank you and I can beat you into a bloody corpse without Alchemy."

The surgeon reached a pair of tweezers into her wound and pulled the bullet out of her flesh. Holly let out a short yell of pain as the metal projectile was pulled out of her muscle.

"Captain, you're seriously one lucky Alchemist." The Surgeon told her, cauterizing the wound then stitching it up. "I have never seen anyone use their Alchemy to slow a bullet from shattering bone, tearing muscle and completing a through and through shot to the next body."

Mustang looked at the surgeon. "Care to repeat that last statement, surgeon?"

The surgeon rubbed the back of his neck. "The Cap used her Alchemy to slow the bullet before it reached her bone structure." Mustang gave him a look. "Captain Cross's Alchemic reactions are much different than anyone else's. All she has to do is complete the circuit with one hand and her Alchemy will carry out what she needs. Any metal that comes with in contact completes the circuit itself by touching her skin. It's the main reason why she wears gloves. An' the main reason why I keep getting calls down here."

"Hurry and patch me up." Holly ordered. "I still have work to do."

"Sorry, Cap. No using your right arm for a couple weeks." The Surgeon told her, stitching and bandaging her shoulder. "And I expect you to obey Doctor's Orders before I have to get the Fuhrer to come and hold you down."

"I've got orders about an evaluation that I have to over see." Holly said as the Surgeon put her arm on a sling. "And I will carry out my orders whether you like it or not, Doc. That's the true life of a soldier. Orders with or without cause…that's all we live for."

Mustang gaped at Holly as she stood up from her backwards chair. "Is that what you think soldiers live for?"

"It is in the end. It's where we all end up if we stay soldiers." Holly answered looking bitter about it as she looked down at the floor, her left hand in a tight fist. "And if you stay too long, a soldier's life is all you'll ever know. Get out while you can, sir. It'll save your soul in the final battle."

The Flame watched the Forge walk to the stairs with Brom and one of the Great Danes behind her. She headed downstairs with her eyes closed as Brom was obviously murmuring something to her. The Great Dane seemed to be trained to be a soldier, falling behind its superiors. The Surgeon stood, wiping his hands on a cloth.

"I wish-just this once-she'd listen to me." He sighed. "She'll listen to the Fuhrer's doctor but not to me. It's actually kind of ironic. Who she has to evaluate, I mean. The Fuhrer's making this trip to watch it all too. He wants to see the good Captain fight this Alchemist. Both are prodigies of the State. Only they can do what no one else can."

"Oh, really? Who is she evaluating?"


	4. Chapter 4

Fuhrer Bradley smiled at a gaping Ed Elric who sat across from him. Al was in shock as well but he couldn't recover as fast as Ed.

"Are you crazy!" FullMetal demanded. "Winry will kill me if I get my arm damaged! I just got it fixed 3 days ago!"

"There's nothing for you to worry about, FullMetal." Fuhrer Bradley smiled with a chuckle. "Forge can expertly rebuild your Automail. And it'll be as good as new. Forge has quite a reputation for being the mastermind behind half of Saints Harbor Automail limbs."

"SAINTS HARBOR AUTOMAIL!" The Elric Brothers shouted in unison. "THAT'S THE BEST AUTOMAIL IN THE WORLD-EVEN PINAKO SAYS SO!"

The Fuhrer smiled at their reaction. "I'm glad you agree, FullMetal. And just between us, it's going to be one amazing evaluation."

0-0-0

"I can't believe I'm facing the Forge Alchemist. How am I going to survive this?"

"Just do what you did when you faced Colonel Mustang." Al told his brother as he helped Ed oil his arm near the edge of the battle ring. "Think on your feet and don't let him catch you off guard."

Ed gave his brother a grateful smile. "I hope I can keep all that in mind when a Strong Arm look-a-like is pounding me into a grease splat."

"I don't think that look a like is who you're fighting." Al pointed behind Ed, making the curious blond turn and gape at a muscled Ishballan who had a large hammer on his back. A girl was kneeling by him, scratching a Great Dane behind the ears. Ed felt his heart leap into his throat as she looked up and gave him a little wave.

"He looks like Scar…" Ed gulped, looking at the Ishballan again. "Man, I'm dead…"

"ALCHEMISTS-TO THE CENTER OF THE EVALUATION RING!" A voice called over the loud speaker. "FORGE AND FULLMETAL-ENTER THE RING NOW!"

"Good luck, Brother." Al told his brother as Ed vaulted over the barrier. The Ishballan lifted the girl up over the barrier and set her on her feet on the other side. She walked to the center where Ed had already arrived.

"I'm Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist." Ed held out his hand to shake hers. The girl firmly put her hand in his. "Is the Forge not going to fight me?"

"I'm Captain Holiday Cross and I'm the Forge Alchemist." She told him with a soft laugh as they dropped hands.

"Boy, isn't this awkward." Ed replied embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm so used to people mistaking Al for me that I'm doing to the other Alchemists now too. My bad. I'm really sorry about that."

"It's fine." Holly smiled. "I usually have Brom pose as me so I can feign ignorance. He's not a real State Alchemist. He only wears the uniform so he can stay close to me."

"Alchemists-back to back, 5 paces." Ed realized the person on the loud speaker was Havoc.

_Well, what do you know? Mustang's here…_ Ed thought as he and Holly stood back to back then took five steps away from each other. They turned to face each other, their serious stances telling everyone that they weren't playing around.

"Just as a warning, I'm not going easy on you just because you're a girl, Captain." The Automail-limbed youth warned her.

Holly smirked at him. "Then I won't hold back either."

Fuhrer Bradley stood from his seat on a covered platform. "Alchemists-began."

Holly launched forward and caught Ed off guard. She plowed her knee into his stomach and slammed her elbow into the back of his head, sending the eldest Elric into the ground. Ed pushed himself onto hands and knees, rubbing the back of his head.

"God, that hurt. Damn, when you say it you're not gonna hold back, I didn't think you meant you were gonna kill me." Ed told her. "You're intending that aren't you?"

"Hey, I'm your evaluator, FullMetal. I'm only here to give you a challenge." Holly answered as she turned around. "If you can take me down, then you're more than proficient."

"Alright then I'll come at you until you're worn out." Ed put his hands together and turned his right arm into a blade. He charged at her swinging at her throat. Holly danced backwards barely hairs from the blade's edge. She finally used his arm as a focal point and flipped over him, landing on her feet. Ed lashed out with a kick, sending her skidding on her feet for several feet. Her arms were raised as a block.

"So I'm not the only one." Holly stood up and took off her beret and jacket, revealing a white dress shirt over a black shirt. She dropped them on the ground and tightened her gloves. "This'll make the fight a whole lot more interesting."

"Oh, yeah?" Ed smirked, taking off his coat and over shirt. "How so?"

Holly cracked her knuckles. "See, I don't get details of my opponents. I only get their names, ranks and what improvisations they've gotten. I'll fix your arm and leg when we're through here. Free of charge, whether you win or lose-personally. But it doesn't mean I'll take it easy on that novice Rockbell work. I have to see how good this 'Winry' is. Pinako's a great teacher but there are people like Winry who have talent, a great teacher and are still airheads. You know, forgetting to put in screws or tuning a gear just right. Happens all the time. Even to the best of my boys."

"So you never make mistakes?" Ed earned a soft laugh and a depressed smile as she looked down. Holly took off the dress shirt, exposing scars all up and down her arms. Everyone gasped. Saints Harbor Natives looked away but the guests couldn't take their eyes off her arms. "My god…"

"I've made enough mistakes in my life." She told him. "If I make mistakes, someone else pays with their life. It's the reason why I go out first so I can take out anyone who wants to take out my boys. Call me sexist but I don't believe in letting women fight. My friends were all women and we repeatedly attacked and killed depending on my power to bring them back. Do you realize how much bloodshed it takes to snap a normal woman's mind? One battle. That's it. One battle and they're scarred for life. They start to go crazy. They start to go down the path that ends with me. I am the ultimate soldier, Mr. Elric. I'm trying not to access the power they depended on. I'm trying to stick with Alchemy but do you realize how hard that is?"

Ed was in a short state of shock. "How…how can you do a perfect human transmutation?"

"I'm talking about resurrection, FullMetal." Holly tossed her shirt on top of her jacket and beret. "Enough talk. Let's continue your evaluation, shall we? I want to get back to work. I have a tank to build."

"Then I'll just to have to kick your ass, Captain!" Ed ran at her, swinging his arm, dangerously close to her jugular vein. Holly lashed out with a right hook that made Ed crumple for a moment after being sent flying several feet away.

"I told you-I'm not making this easy!" She put her hands together as she ran towards Ed. She lunged at the ground in front of the blond and did a front hand spring over his head. She twisted in the air and landed on her feet in a crouch. Ed shielded his face as an explosion launched him into the air.

"Doesn't change what I said!" Ed came down fast, only giving Holly a second to respond. He slashed at her legs, ripping the blue pants. Silver glints got Ed's attention through the large slashes in her pants. "Your legs…they're Automail…"

Holly pushed her bangs out of her face. "Yeah, they're Automail. I had a run in with a Homunculus called Lust a while back. She unevenly sliced my legs from under me. Brom took care of me by evening out the damage to my mid-thighs from just above the knee and through the knee. After he put the sockets on, he built my legs for me and he's kept up the maintenance all on his own. Your Winry could learn a thing or two from him, Ishballan or not. I've had Automail for the last 9 years, just one year shy of my Military career as an Alchemist."

Ed couldn't believe that Holly was telling him through the entire evaluation so far. He was surprised that she was simply telling him this. The Saints Harbor Natives didn't seem as shocked as the visiting soldiers. They seemed to know all of this already…as did the Fuhrer.

"So, you're a career Military Dog…" Ed smirked as he stood up and faced her. "That's not going to be easy to live down all the blood you've shed."

"Whoever said I was living down the lives I've previously taken before signing up?" Ed and the visiting soldiers were in shock, scared by the icy tone and soulless look her voice and eyes had taken. "I create tanks and guns. I forge swords and knives. What I make takes the live of people every single day. The decorations, pocket watches and dog tags I have made to reward and identify the killers I have armed. Do you really think your pathetic insults will distract me from my duties? I got shot earlier and here I am, being your evaluator. You're a pretty decent Alchemist, FullMetal. But I'm a better soldier."

Holly ran towards Ed, putting her hands together. She used her hands to do a simple flip, creating a staff with a blade. The blade was like a triple oversized spearhead and the staff was taller than her by at least half a head. It looked like it was perfect for her, fitting nicely by her side.

"Now, Mr. Elric-shall we finish this?" Forge asked, stepping towards the elder brother. Ed stood on guard as the captain walked forward. She was using the weapon like a walking stick for a little while before tossing it into the air, giving it a twirl. The staff spun in the air and when it came down, Holly caught it easily and used it like a far more seasoned veteran. Ed had to parry her thrusts as he hurriedly backed up. Somehow she angled the spear to catch his belt and used it to easily throw him across the damaged fighting area.

"WAAAAH!" Ed landed face first and skidded on his chest several feet. He got up-pissed-with her back to him. The white gauze-that had been placed on her shoulder to cover what had to be the bullet hole-was completely crimson. All this fighting was making her wound bleed heavily. "Aren't you worried about blood loss?"

"Who, Me?" Holly asked curiously, turning around. "No, not really. My people have roughly 7 or 8 pints of blood in their bodies at any one time. The maximum for our living is one half of a pint. We mainly run off energy. As long as we have a ½ pint in my flesh-my body will keep moving like I have all 7 or 8 and I won't stop until I fulfill my duties. It's really quite fascinating. You should ask your father about it sometime."

"My-my father! He's a bastard!" Ed got really mad and charged her. Holly blocked thrust after thrust from the FullMetal pipsqueak. Her blood was telling her she had to kill him, to kill Ed. She glanced at the Fuhrer behind Ed on the "VIP" platform. The Man in Charge nodded once. Holly's eyes hardened. With a more than expert skill, Holly whipped the blades faster that Ed could blink. His Automail leg and arm went flying off his body, letting them land far away with a clank. Ed fell on to his back, in pain for a moment. Holly's knees buckled and the pistons popped, landing Holly on her butt with her damaged legs and ripped pants the only evidence of Ed's last strike.


	5. Chapter 5

Holly started laughing and flopped on to her back. A Great Dane and Brom came running over to Holly while Al rushed to his brother.

"My God! A double hit!" Holly laughed. "I shouldn't've let him land that hit but it was either that or…"

"Or what?" Ed growled as Al scooped him up. "And what's so damn funny?"

Brom picked her up and put Holly on his shoulder. " 'Or' something bad would've happened." Brom told him, taking Ed and putting the blond on his other shoulder. "Follow me, young man. Dezi-alert the forge. We'll be there in a moment."

The Great Dane nodded then ran off towards a complex of buildings. Brom turned with the two State Alchemists on his shoulders as the Fuhrer stood.

"Forge, FullMetal-you have passed your evaluations." The Military leader announced. Holly growled something under her breath that sounded like "should've known" before the Fuhrer continued. "Forge, you have been a Captain for 4 years. You are now a Major."

"Yes! Finally!" Holly cheered. "No more orders from Lieutenants!"

"Both of you, Forge and FullMetal, are renewed for another year." The Fuhrer continued. "Now, get your Automail repaired and get some rest. Both of you deserve it. Dismissed."

Every soldier saluted their leader who saluted him back. Brom turned around and headed away from the ruined fighting area, followed by Al who was carrying the four Automail limbs and both Alchemists' dropped clothes. Other Alchemists were fixing the busted up concrete so Ed and Holly didn't have to. They traveled in silence until they reached a huge barn painted white with a blue roof and a metal and wood sign hanging above the door.

" 'Saint Alchemic Smithy Guild'…" Al read in awe as the Ishballan took Ed and Holly inside. "Wow, this place is where dreams are forged in to reality…"

"Thanks, Alphonse." Holly smiled looking back. "You comin', Happy Boy? Or are you goin' to be my new icon?"

"Ah! Coming! I'm coming!" Al ran to catch up with Brom at the base of a set of stairs. "What's up there?"

Holly laughed. "It's my Automail workshop, silly. I can't do Automail downstairs."

Brom gently slid the 2 Alchemists from his shoulders and carried them up stairs around their waists so they wouldn't hit their heads. Al had to duck down a little but he followed them upstairs none the less. The workshop was amazing, resembling the Rockbell's workshop but with far more materials and tools. Brom sat Ed and Holly at a table then pulled out a tool to free Holly's damaged Automail from her sockets.

"Alphonse, be a dear and hand me your bother's arm. I want to see how good your Winry is." The Forge requested before there was a thunk for the damaged limb falling out of her socket. Al looked at Ed who nodded and handed Ed's arm to the lady blacksmith. Brom handed her glasses from his pocket as he removed the second damaged part. "Okay…um, Edward, my kit's by you. Slide it to me please."

"Here ya go." Ed slid a small case across the table to her. She opened it and pulled out a couple tools to dissect Winry's hard work.

"Not bad…amateur for sure but not bad. She has real talent." Holly told Ed as she looked over the intricate work of wires, pistons and gears. "Pinako taught her well. However, Winry does need to have a formal training if she's really going to compete for one of the top 5 positions with me and Brom."

"I'll get you the parts you will need, Forge." Brom said, taking the damaged Automail away. Holly waved at him distractedly as she continued to dissect the mechanical limb.


	6. Chapter 6

"Wow, Major Cross. You do great work. It's better than Winry's."

Ed flexed his new hand and his new foot. He was admiring the light weight and workmanship in the sunlight. Holly barely flinched as Brom secured her legs to her ports. Holly stood up and patted his shoulder as she headed for the stairs. Ed caught a glimpse of something on her arm as she passed him.

"The metal's lighter but stronger than the steel Winry used that time in Lab 5." Holly informed him as they went to the smithy below. "You grew a couple inches so it was about time you had them refitted anyway."

"Thanks, Major." Ed had to stop short so he wouldn't crash into Holly. She was in shock, seeing something obvious more surprising than Al. A couple women were at the door, hassling the apprentice blacksmiths. "Uh…"

"Where the hell is my daughter?!" A sandy blonde demanded. "She has short black hair, pale skin, a heart condition and healing abilities and-not now, Rei-and-Rei, not…now…"

A black haired woman had been tugging on the Sandy blonde's arm, looking directly at Holly. The sandy blonde looked at Holly as well. Both had surprise and relief on their faces. Holly's was more like shock, fear and anger.

"Hotaru, Kiddo…you're alright-thank God!" The Sandy blond sighed. "Michiru, Setsuna and I have been so worried about you."

Holly's eyes narrowed. She had recovered faster than Ed would've expected. "Go the hell into the Sun and leave me the Cosmic hell alone."

"Hotaru, how can you say that? Haruka and I have been to 9 different barns-" Rei was cut off.

"Guilds. These 'barns' are guilds. They range from black smithies to Automail shops to arms manufacturing to vehicles." Holly told them icily. "This place is the sea side capital of Alchemy, Automail and Arms. Saints Harbor is the only place to find the Guilds that span all over the world."

"Hotaru, what-" Haruka was cut of by an icy scowl.

"My name is Holiday Mariah Cross. My rank is Major of the Amestris State Military. My title is Forge Alchemist." Holly told them in a venomous tone. It even made Al shiver. "I am the Saints Harbor Guild Master. I make the best Automail in the world. I forge the strongest, lightest steel imaginable. I am not this 'Hotaru'. I have been a State Alchemist for over 9 years. I am a career soldier and I answer directly to Fuhrer King Bradley himself…although I have a higher Master and he's not going to like the fact that you have come to stop me from fulfilling my reason for being created."

Haruka and Rei looked at each other then back at Holly. "What are you talking about, Hotaru? What do you mean 'your reason for being created'?"

Holly bowed dramatically, her forearm showing to the women. A black Omega was tattooed to her flesh.

"I am one of Four Ultimate Homunculi. My Master calls me 'Death'." Holly's uniform disappeared in an Alchemic reaction.

She now wore a short ,black tank top with thick straps and a low box collar that laced up the front; a pair of tight, high-water, hip-resting black pants laced up the sides; ankle boots laced up the front, fingerless black gloves that laced up the back, and a choker with a red stone dangle. Her red stone dangle earrings brushed against her face as her hair was whipped up into a high ponytail tied with a black bow. She stood up straight, showing an Oroboros sign on the front of her left hip. She was showing skin from the front of her ankles to up the sides of her legs to the front of her top to the backs of her wrists and hands. The same symbol as the one on the back of Ed's red coat was on her shoulders in red. Her lips were black and she had a darker version of the other Homunculi's eyes. Her canine teeth were fanged and her body well toned with a scar running across the tips of her shoulder blades. Her long bangs fell over her right eye, barely hiding the slender red stone oval on her forehead.

"And I had to sacrifice just 3 souls to get to this perfect world: Dmitri Karzakoff, Adam Elovski and Vincent Laurence." Holly-no, Death said as she ticked them off on her black painted nailed fingers. "I have new fellow Ultimates. Since I'm the original, Master let me pick who I'd get to work with personally. One of which is Brom. He is the perfect Famine, don't you agree?" Haruka and Rei looked Horrified as Brom came out of the shadows. "I think the position of Famine fits him perfectly since his people are being starved by the very military I serve."

Brom had lost the State uniform and was in complete black, like Death. He wore a tight black tank top with black pants tighter than his uniform pants. His boots were more like motorcycle boots and he wore red stones on a chain and studs. The red stone on his forehead was an upside down triangle. His Oroboros sign was on his shoulder, his right shoulder. His Omega was black as well but was on his inner wrist. He wore fingerless gloves with missing backs, revealing transmutation circles.

"Master says no Alchemy and no confrontations." Brom-Famine told her in a soft voice.

"Master hasn't fought them. He hasn't lived with them like I have." Death growled. "I ought to kill them now and get rid of them here and now."

Famine grabbed her upper arm. "Master says no Alchemy and no confrontations. He knows how hard living like you have truly is. It's why he assigned us to delivering the Elric Brothers to him personally."

Death looked away, obviously depressed. "…We'll need War and Pestilence to pull this off…"

Famine put his hands on her slender shoulders. "Don't worry there will be a time and a place for you to face them. The time is not now and the place is not here. Too many witnesses and too little room."

Death looked up, looking more deadlier than ever. Famine backed off and snapped his fingers. Were-wolf Great Danes came out of the stalls as the soldiers and apprentices ran for the surrounding guilds, looking for safety. They had been trained to expect this one day. Haruka and Rei just had no idea what was going on.

"We will face each other soon enough, Mars, Uranus. Make no mistake of that. Our pets and our brothers will stand by us while we take you AND the whore down. There's only enough room for perfection and you freaks are in my way."


	7. Chapter 7

Hoenhiem Elric got a look from his eldest son…until Edward saw whom the other 2 Horsemen were.

Pestilence was in black State pants with a shirt similar to Greed's and fingerless gloves that revealed his palms, and his transmutation circles. He had sunglasses over his eyes and his Oroboros sign was on the inside of his right forearm with his Omega by his left elbow. His boots were just like those the Military handed out.

And War was in a version of Envy's shirt, black pants and regular glasses. His gloves were fingerless and backless, going up to his elbows. His Omega was on the back of his left hand with his Oroboros on his abs, above his belly button. His boots went to his knees.

Their red stones were on 2 different lengths of chains and their earrings were 2 different styles. The stones on their foreheads were a rhombus and circle respectively. Yet Ed gaped at their faces more than the fact of that they were Homunculi.

"Brigadier General Hughes…?" Ed whispered, looking at War who nodded warmly. Ed's eyes were a little colder subconsciously on Pestilence. "Kimbly the Crimson Alchemist…?"

"That's right, Edward. We are the last 2 of the Ultimate Homunculi." Kimbly replied. "We each have what our names represent. I was driven to the point of obedient insanity by Grand. It was my illness."

War understood the "WTFH?" look Ed had on his face. "He's perfectly sane in this form. My life was slowly being engulfed by the Military. I started to lose myself as time went by so I clung like crazy to my wife and daughter."

Death pushed passed Ed, muttering something that sounded like "family's overrated". She walked down a hall of the stone mansion Hoenhiem of Light had taken up residence on the outskirts of Saints Harbor. Famine leaned against the wall the other two Homunculi were sitting on the base of.

"I think you touched that 'nerve' again, War." Pestilence commented, putting his arms behind his head.

**SLAM!**

"I suppose I did." War sighed. "She's gonna be a pain come morning."

"What you don't know, Edward, is that Death came from a world called Terra." Hoenhiem explained softly. "She came here, searching for a more suitable life worth living. I found her and made her what she is. From there, she made Famine. Together, they made War. Then the 3 of them created Pestilence. These 4 have 1 more to create before they can face the Homunculi and Dante. Each one is created by a combination of the ones before. But Death has the most power. She alone can take them out but Dante and she have a past that I wish for her to have her brothers as back up." He took a deep breath and loosened his tie. "Death has a story that she has locked away from even me. If you want to know what she sees when she's like this, I suggest you forget about asking."

"There's no calming her, Famine." Pestilence told the Eastern Homunculus as he passed him.

"You haven't been with her like I have." Famine shot back at them. "You don't know what she has had to endure to get this far."

"And you think living in a smithy with her for the time she brought you around means you're an expert on her?" War asked, not cruelly but like Hughes would ask normally. "She's the first, Famine. We know she's had to endure a lot. Whatever she's had to endure is nothing like she'll have to soon."

Pestilence rolled his eyes. "Only you can foresee the wars to come. And Death…she's far from being safe with Dante running around. You saw what Lust did to her legs, didn't you?"

"Come along, Edward. You and I need to discuss a few things. War, Pestilence, Famine-you three are on guard duty. One on the roof. One inside. One in the trees. Go, and do not disturb Death. She needs to forget whatever she saw." Hoenhiem told all of them. "Alphonse, there's a library just down the hall on the right. I want you to go there until I come get you."

"Uh, yes, Father." Al nodded uneasy. Ed gave him a shrug and followed Hoenhiem down the hall as the 3 Horsemen carried out their orders. Soon the walking armor was left alone. He headed towards the library but stopped, passing Death's door. There was a light under the door glowing softly and flickering, giving Al the impression that Death had lit a candle. Uncertain, Al knocked on the wood. "Major Cross? Major Cross, are you all right?"

"Go away, Alphonse." Death called back. Al opened the door and looked in, to see if Death was really all right. She was laying on her bed, her back to the door and dressed in her State pants, boots and tank top. Her braid trailed behind her and off the edge of the bed. "I thought I said for you to go away."

Al walked in and sat down in a chair next to the bed. He sat there in silence for a little while before speaking.

"You remind me of my brother sometimes." Al began. "Like right now…you're doing what he would do whenever he'd get upset and depressed. You're avoiding everybody just because you don't like what they said."

"It's…not like that. When I'm Death…I remember every life I ever took. I see what will happen to whomever I touch, how they'll die, when and where…" Holly mumbled. "It only goes away when I'm human…that's the only time I can forget again…"

Al looked at his feet then looked at Holly's back. He knew what he had to do to help his brother.

"Major Holiday Cross, I want to be your Fifth Horseman."

Holly sat up, looking up at the now standing suit of armor in complete shock. "You want to _what_?"

"Make me the Fifth Horseman. I want to help my brother. If you have whole bodies as Horsemen then I want it so Ed doesn't put himself out just for me." Alphonse told her. "And don't tell Ed or Dad-they'll keep me from doing it."

Holly swung her legs over the edge of her bed. "I foresaw this, Alphonse. I foresaw you come to see me. I didn't know what you wanted though.(Sigh) Come on, Elric. Let's gather up the other 3 and get this over with before FullMetal and Master catch on."


	8. Chapter 8

"Stand here, War. Pestilence, you across and Famine-you're across from me. Alphonse, you're in the center. Let's make this fast because Master will kill us and FullMetal is going to kill Alphonse."

The 4 Horsemen stood at the four corners of a square transmutation circle. Each Homunculus clapped their hands once and knelt, touching their hands to the circle. Al watched the circle turn scarlet before the light engulfed the suit of armor. Large bat like wings tore from the homunculi's backs and black designs seeped to the top of their flesh.

Running feet were muffled by the door but it was kicked in as the light grew too bright for Edward and Hoenhiem to see. When the light died down, Ed and Hoenhiem saw the 3 males on the floor in various positions panting heavily as Death was cradling someone her arms and wings.

"Where the hell is Alphonse?" Ed snapped of the Horsemen.

"He made us do it." Pestilence panted. "He emotionally blackmailed Death into it. We swear it on our freak show lives."

"He made you do _what_?" Ed demanded, getting really pissed.

"He's the 5th Horseman now, the Horseman of Strife." Hoenhiem answered as he walked over to Death and put his hand on her shoulder. She moved her wing out of the way, revealing a human looking Alphonse in a tight black shirt that showed his stomach and long shorts with black boots. His arms were around her waist and he looked like he was a sleep. "You did well, Death. I am proud of you."

Ed pushed passed his father and saw his human brother. "What the hell…?"

"The creation of a horseman requires a living subject to transmute along with previous sources of power in order to be connected. He has all of his memories as Strife but he cannot stay in this form all the time. The red stones will make him a target." Hoenhiem explained softly as Death leaned against him, worn out. "He can revert back to his armored body at any time but don't think he can't die in that form. He can and the Homunculus in him will activate in order to save his life." The Elric father made Strife release Death and scooped up the girl. "War, take Strife to his room. I'll take care of Death."

"Yes, Master." War pushed himself up with a lot of effort and half staggered over to his new brother. He picked up the blond Homunculus and carried him out of the room. Pestilence and Famine got shakily to their feet and headed for the door.

"Come on, FullMetal. You can't do anything for him right now." Pestilence told the Alchemist boy. "Strife just needs to rest and he'll be fine."

"I'm never calling him that. He'll always be _my_ brother Alphonse."


End file.
